Army Life Sucks
by CaseyluvsLucic17
Summary: Edward is over seas, fighting for the US Army. He left the day after christmas, one year ago. Bella was left to raise triplets. What happens when another christmas rolls around, and Edward still in Iraq? ALL HUMAN. Edward and Bella are 28 years old.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello People of ! Heres a Twilight story for you, but be warned, it is ALL HUMAN. **

**Canon pairings. There are lyrics in italics, I'm going to try to post songs that I seem fitting to each chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight=*(**

_Bella POV_

Edward has been over seas for awhile now. Since that day he left, our triplets have really turned into their own people. Joey was the biggest of the 3, and was also first born. Maggie was the smallest of the 3, being born second. Ryder was the medium of the kids in size, but final born. I can't believe it's already been 4 years since they were born. They constantly asked where _he _was and why daddy wasn't home for their birthday, or Halloween, or Thanksgiving. It was getting closer to Christmas-just 25 days- and I have no idea if he'll be home for that either. It's been hard without him and the kids are a constant reminder, Maggie especially. She has his bronze hair and green eyes. Her personality very much the same also. I'm actually quite surprised she isn't a girly girl with Rosalie and Alice for aunts. Maggs hates shopping as much as I do. Thankfully, none of them have my clumsyness.

"Mommy?" Ryder asked.

"Yes Ry" I asked my youngest baby.

"Whens Daddy gonna be home? I wanna show him my tooth!" He said. Ryder was the first to lose a tooth and he was dang proud of it.

"I don't know Ryder. Maybe we can mail Daddy your tooth? You think he'd like that?" I asked.

"YEAH!" Ryder exclaimed happily. He bounced off towards the playroom as I heard the rest of my family come in.

"Hey Bella!" Emmett said as he gave me one of his signature bear hugs.

"Can't... breathe....Emmett..." I panted.

"Sorry" He replied with his goofy grin. I said hello to everyone else. We sat down in the livingroom, watching the news.

"And to the War in Iraq" The news anchor said.

"This month has been one of the most deadly for U.S. Soldiers. The President is expected to pull the troops out starting this month, with all of them gone by August of next year." The anchor continued. I blocked the rest out. What if Edward was dead? What would I do?

"Bella, it's gonna be ok" Alice said, wiping my face. I hadn't noticed I was crying. Rosalie turned the TV off and the radio on to the channel devoted to christmas songs during the holiday season.

"_Dear Santa, I need to change my Christmas list  
There's one big thing I missed  
You see my Daddy's working far away from here  
And I know Santa, I asked for a Barbie doll  
And a brand new soccer ball  
But I'd trade it all, for just one gift this year..._

Bring him home Santa, bring him home to mom and me  
Let us wake up Christmas morning, and find him standing by our tree  
You can pick him up on your way, he could ride there in your sleigh  
Don't make him spend Christmas all alone  
Bring him home

And Santa, here's a picture that I drew  
Of him in his dress blues  
Mama says our country needs him over there  
And you know Santa, this whole year I've been good  
And I was hopin' that you would  
Do all you could to answer her prayer...

Bring him home Santa, bring him home to mom and me  
Let us wake up Christmas morning, and find him standing by our tree  
You can pick him up on your way, he could ride there in your sleigh  
Don't make him spend Christmas all alone  
Bring him home

Bring him home  
Bring him home  
Bring him home"

How fitting the song was. The little girls voice that was singing it reminded me of Maggie. I knew this was especially tough on her, she was a huge daddy's girl. I started crying at the end of the song, praying for my husbands safe return. Praying he would return at all. All I wanted was for him to hold me again, to whisper how much he loves me, and to see him playing with our kids again.

"I never should have let him go!" I wailed. Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle rushed to take the triplets elsewhere.

"Bella, it's ok, he's going to come home" Renée told me.

"Bells, trust us, Edwards going to make it for christmas" Alice said.

"You don't know that for sure! For all we know he could be dead right now! Why oh why did I let him leave?" I asked.

I sat on the couch crying for what seemed like hours. Alice, Rosalie, Esme and Renée left me alone, not knowing what to say. I know it is hard for Alice and Esme, they are blood related for gods sake, but none of them knew what it was like to not know if their soul mate was dead or alive. I felt strong arms pick me up and bring me to my room and lay me on my bed.

"'Night Bells" I heard Emmett say quietly.

"God, bring him home, please" I heard Emmett say under his breath.

Yes God, please bring him home to me. That night I dreamt a lot, although they were more like flashbacks. I dreamt of our first date, first kiss, when he proposed, our wedding and of course the kids being born. Right after my flashbacks, however, I had a nightmare no army wife wants to have. Edward

was in Baghdad somewhere, shot, bleeding and alone.

"_I love you Bella" _ where the last things I heard before I woke up from that nightmare.

"Mommy?" I heard Maggie say. I turned on my light and Maggie was next to me.

"Can I sleep with you? Daddy's pillows smell like him" My young daughter said through silent tears.

"Of course Mags. Daddy will be home soon" I told her. She curled up and soon, we both fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all who reviewed!!**

**-Casey**

**Disclaimer: I own Joey, Maggie and Ryder, but everyone else belong to Miss Stephenie Myer!**

_Emmett POV_

God damn this war. There is really no point in it anyways. If the Iraqi's want to kill themselves, let them! **(A/N, sorry if this offends anyone, but I am strongly against the Iraq war!) **My brother is stuck thousands of miles away from his family, from his kids. It is depressing watching the triplets grow into their own people, knowing Edward is missing all of it. They started pre-school while he was away, they made their first friends while he was away, and I think Maggie has her first crush, while he is away. Bella isn't the same anymore. She cries daily, and doesn't go out with the family as much. If anything happens to Edward over there, this family will go down the tubes faster than anything before. Bella would go straight into denile, and isolate herself, who knows what Alice, Mom and Dad would do. Jasper and Rose would feel terrible, and I would be losing a best friend and a brother. I shuddered at the thought of him leaving us.

"Uncle Emmett?" I heard a young voice ask. I looked down and saw Joey.

"Whats up Joester?" I asked.

"Wheres my dad?" He asked sadley.

"He's keeping you and mommy and everyone else safe." I told him, not quite sure how to explain Edwards job to a 4 year old.

"Why does he have to be so far away though?" Joey asked.

"Because that's where they need him. He'll be home soon though" I told him.

"Promise?" He asked quietly.

"Promise" I said. I hope I can keep this promise too.

"Can we listen to the radio?" He asked.

"Yeah, what station you want to listen to?" I asked him.

"Mix 98.5!" He said excitedly **(A/N, popular radio station in my state) **

I obliged and turned the channel to Mix 98.5. Just as I turned the volume up, "Rockstar" by Nickelback ended. The next song was by Greenday, called "Wake Me Up When September Ends."

I had never really payed attention to the lyrics before, I'm not much of a Greenday fan, but I listened close this time.

_Summer has come and passed.  
The innocent can never last  
Wake me up,  
When September ends._

_Like my father's come to pass, seven years has gone so fast.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends._

_Here comes the rain again,  
Falling from the stars;  
Drenched in my pain again,  
Becoming who we are._

_As my memory rests,  
But never forgets what I lost.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends._

_Summer has come and passed.  
The innocent can never last.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends._

_Ring out the bells again.  
Like we did when spring began.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends._

_Here comes the rain again,  
Falling from the stars;  
Drenched in my pain again,  
Becoming who we are._

_As my memory rest,  
But never forgets what I lost.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends._

_Summer has come and passed.  
The innocent can never last.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends._

_Like my father's come to pass.  
Twenty years has gone so fast.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends.  
Wake me up,  
When September ends.... _

I got to thinking about this song. It sounded like a song about war, and troops. When Joey went to play with his brother, I looked up the youtube video of it. It was about the war. I found myself crying for my brother. When would this pain end? I need to write to him so bad. I sat down and wrote a letter to send to Edward.

_Hey Edward,_

_Whats up man? Life here is so boring without you. Nobody is the same, not even the triplets. Rosalie isn't Rosalie anymore. Alice hasn't shopped intensly since you left. Jasper is at a loss for words. Mom and Dad just seem out of place. I don't even crack jokes anymore. Bella has been hit the hardest by all of this. She rarely leaves the house, for the most part, she sits with the kids and just plays with them. She puts up an emotional barrier around them, but alone she cries, man does she cry a lot. She really misses you man. You've missed a lot since you left. As you know, the kids are now 4. Joey is huge! Maggie reminds me so much of you. You'll be happy to know she has realized the evils of shopping so you won't have a mini Alice on your hands when you get back. Ryder, he's funny man. He reminds me of me so much. He lost his first tooth the other day. They've started Pre-school, and I think Maggie has her first crush. Don't worry about it though, because Joey and Ryder are so very protective of her, kinda reminds me of us when Alice started dating. I miss you Edward. I saw on the news today troops are starting to get pulled out, and you'll all be home by august of next year. That's awesome! You gotta do me a favor though, stay safe until you do get home, anything happens and I'll go over there and kill you if your not dead already. And if you are, I'll bring you back to life, and kill you once more. Actually, no I won't. If I could bring you back to life, I'd bring you home. I got to go now man._

_Stay safe, Stay strong._

_We all love you and miss you,_

_Emmett_

Bye the end of the letter, I was shaking. I sealed it in an envolope to be mailed tomorrow.

_Edward POV(couple of days later)_

"Cullen?" I heard someone ask.

"Thats me" I said, looking up at a younger soldier.

"Mail" He said.

"Thanks" I replied as he handed it to me. It was from Emmett. I tore it open quickly and read it.

_Hey Edward,_

_Whats up man? Life here is so boring without you. Nobody is the same, not even the triplets. Rosalie isn't Rosalie anymore. Alice hasn't shopped intensly since you left. Jasper is at a loss for words. Mom and Dad just seem out of place. I don't even crack jokes anymore. Bella has been hit the hardest by all of this. She rarely leaves the house, for the most part, she sits with the kids and just plays with them. She puts up an emotional barrier around them, but alone she cries, man does she cry a lot. She really misses you man. You've missed a lot since you left. As you know, the kids are now 4. Joey is huge! Maggie reminds me so much of you. You'll be happy to know she has realized the evils of shopping so you won't have a mini Alice on your hands when you get back. Ryder, he's funny man. He reminds me of me so much. He lost his first tooth the other day. They've started Pre-school, and I think Maggie has her first crush. Don't worry about it though, because Joey and Ryder are so very protective of her, kinda reminds me of us when Alice started dating. I miss you Edward. I saw on the news today troops are starting to get pulled out, and you'll all be home by august of next year. That's awesome! You gotta do me a favor though, stay safe until you do get home, anything happens and I'll go over there and kill you if your not dead already. And if you are, I'll bring you back to life, and kill you once more. Actually, no I won't. If I could bring you back to life, I'd bring you home. I got to go now man._

_Stay safe, Stay strong._

_We all love you and miss you,_

_Emmett_

Alice hasn't shopped intensly since I left? Wow. I read the part about my angel crying a lot. That hurt deep down, knowing I was the source of her pain. I miss my family so much, especially my kids. Had Ryder really lost a tooth? Did my baby girl really have her first crush? I was missing way to much important times of their lifes. I had to get home, soon. I need to feel Bella in my arms again, I need Emmett to poke fun at me again, I needed Alice to drag my wife to stores against her will. I needed to hear my kids voices. I need my life back. I had gotten the word today of when my squadron would be going home. We would arrive home christmas day. I wanted this to be a surprise, to just show up on the doorstep on christmas and see their faces, to see _her _face. 20 days was all I had to last until I saw my angel once again. After that, I knew the war would be over soon enough, and I would never have to worry about not making it to another holiday again. I tried to remember the the day I realized I loved Bella. We had been in the middle of a fight one night, early in our relationship.

_-FLASH BACK-_

_"FINE!" She yelled. She had pain in her eyes. As she walked back to the table, I felt pairs of eyes boring holes into me. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Alice where horrified at mine and Bella's first actual fight. She wanted to get married before she was 25 and she didn't think I would oblige. I wanted to wait until I knew it was her for sure that was my soul mate, meaning it might be longer than until her 25th birthday. This fight made me realize that her pain, was my pain and I knew she was the one. I had to make this up to her somehow, but how? I heard the annoucement for karaoke. _

_I walked up to the karaoke stage at the bar we were at. I told the dj my choice and I heard the instrumental start up. I sang with all my heart, hoping she knew what she meant to me._

"_The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting  
Could it be that we have been this way before?  
I know you don't think that I am trying  
I know you're wearing thin down to the core_

_But hold your breath  
Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
You're impossible to find_

_This is not what I intended  
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart  
You always thought that I was stronger  
I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start_

_Ohh, but hold your breath  
Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
It's impossible_

_So breathe in so deep  
Breathe me in, I'm yours to keep  
And hold on to your words 'cause talk is cheap  
And remember me tonight when you're asleep_

_Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find_

_Tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
You're impossible to find"_

_As I finished the song, I met her eyes, she was crying. I ran off the stage and held her to me. _

"_I love you Bells, I really do" I whispered into her ear._

"_I love you too Edward" She told me. My life was now complete._

_-END FLASHBACK-_

That was our song, the one we danced to at our wedding. If only December 25 would hurry up...

**Reviews please!**

**I don't own "Fall For You", Secondhand Serenade does.  
**


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